Why he chose the gun, a Dutch general speaks...

[billc]

An interesting video on why this Dutch General chose to take up the gun as his instrument to make the world a better place...

http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Why-I-Chose-a-Gun

But in the Netherlands, nearly no one is familiar with guns, how to use them, nor have they ever been in the presence of one.I found this talk (also below) surprising for that reason. This is probably the first time I have ever heard a Dutch person cogently explain the need for strong defense forces. If you watch it, note the obvious discomfort the audience experiences. ​

If you want to jump ahead, 4:40 is a good place, but the introduction before that is just as good...

 

[Sukerkin]

Cannot disagree with a word that man said. I had a good feeling about what it was that he was going to speak from the very start and my ears perked upright at the first mention of Nijmegen because I knew right then that this soldier was going to understand just why it is that no man and no country can afford to be defenceless.

One of my deeply held beliefs is encapsulated in the phrase "Who knows what wonders have passed out of this world for want of the strength to preserve them". That's not an exact quote and I confess I do not recall where I encountered the concept but that does not make it any the less true.

 

[Sukerkin]

On a much lighter note, here is an alternative Dutch approach to maintaining peace:

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I don't want to derail this thread with that, for it's an important and serious one, it's just the way the comedic twist in my brain goes sometimes

 

[billc]

You can't really derail a thread Sukerkin. A thread, to me at least, is free ranging discussion and goes wherever it goes. Of course, when it ends up in discussion of beautiful women, it has wandered to the right place.